Dress Blues

[LCpl Lamm]

I was curious, when I go to PLC, TBS, IOC, when will I recieve my dress blues and get the picture taken, after TBS?
Thanks,
Lamm

[Vulture6]

You will PURCHASE your dress blues, usually during TBS. Some officer candidates will buy them after PLC Sr in order to be commmissioned in them, but most folks will be commissioned in their service alpha uniforms.

Any pictures you want taken as an officer, will involve you making an appointment at a portrait studio. You do not get dress blue photos taken as a part of training the way that enlisted Marines do at Boot Camp.

You must have all of your uniforms purchased, fitted, and inspected prior to finishing TBS.

[0311Marine]

The only person in bootcamp to recieve there dress blues for FREE is the guide, everyone else has to buy them since there not a required uniform, the pictures you get taken in boot camp are kind of fake, the jacket you wear is only a half jacket, you will also get your dress blues issued if your in a special billet, i.e. Yankee whites. Semper Fi

[USMC Chuter]

I was in the last company at MCRD SD that was issued blues... Every Marine in the company. I guess they did it for 2 or 3 years before they went back to only issuing them to the honormen. A little piece of dress blues history I guess...

[Vulture6]

Not sure when it ended (didn't know that it had), but we started issuing dress blues to privates at MCRD in, I think, 1990.

[USMCRET6391]

Originally Posted by Vulture6

Not sure when it ended (didn't know that it had), but we started issuing dress blues to privates at MCRD in, I think, 1990.

1990 is correct, however, I went to MCRD San Diego from over seas to retire in 1991 (I had the option and wanted to end it where it started) and watched a couple of graduations just for nostalgia's sake while I was processing out. I am glad they stopped the practice of graduating the Recruits in their Blues. The DI's had to be in the same uniform as their Graduating Platoons......As a former DI, one of the ugliest things I have ever seen was a DI in Dress Blues with a green "Smokey" on his head......... it was just

[LCpl Lamm]

Oh, I figured they did the same thing as enlisted, I'll just go to a studio somewhere, or do they have a thing set up on base? And someone would purchase their unifroms on the weekends right? Okay, thanks for the info. I was just curious.
Lamm

[Vulture6]

You will be issued your cammies while in OCS. You will have to buy a dress / service uniform for commissioning.

Once you are at TBS, you will have a schedule for uniform inspections, and it is up to you to go to the uniform shop at the exchange or the Marine Shop in Quantico. There will be numerous inspections initially for fit, and later for correctness. You will have to buy several thousand dollars worth of uniforms and accessories, and you will receive a one time uniform allowance of about $300 - which won't even cover the cost of your sword (which is required). Generally, there will be time in the training schedule - "commander's time" - which will be "designated" for certain groups of lieutenants to go to purchase uniforms and do fittings. Of course, that is not enough time, so additional fittings are done in the evenings and/or weekends.

There is a photo studio at the exchange, and you can schedule a photo, which is fairly common.

[USMC Chuter]

USMCRET,

You're absolutely right, Top. Even as a boot watching a video of my graduation I realized that the drill instructors looked goofy in blue bravos w/ campaign hats. I graduated in October 1993, and couldn't have been more glad that the practice of issuing blues stopped when I graduated. Don't get me wrong, I was glad I didn't have to purchase them, but I'm a firm believer that issuing them isn't the best idea.